John Cleary Library

John Cleary (1937-2008)

John was an avid photography collector and dealer; Self-educated and highly-devoted, John helped to propel Houston's photographic connisseurship.

His gallery, which is located very close to HCP, is a renowned Houston institution that is celebrated for its vintage work and timeless contemporary photographs.

John’s legacy includes more than 1,200 images of children (known as his “Kid Collection”) and several thousand books on photography.

Houston Center for Photography’s John Cleary Library is home to more than 3,000 books on photography and related subjects. Originally, the library primarily housed books that were reviewed in HCP’s SPOT magazine but it has since grown to be a comprehensive reference library on photography.

The John Cleary Library includes monographs, surveys, exhibition catalogs, instructional books, periodicals, and self-published artist books. Its home in HCP’s Learning Center is a comfortable place where all are welcome to enjoy photography in book form and share John Cleary’s passion for photography. The library is open to the public during HCP gallery hours and by appointment.